Europe is now a spectator to a tsunami of cocaine with easy ordering and delivery of the drug. Read to know more about the situation.
Pizza-like cocaine ordering and delivery system in Europe
People in big European cities are using applications like Signal and WhatsApp for placing cocaine orders. And similar to a pizza order, the drug shows up at their front door in under 20 minutes. As per Virginie Lahaye, “scoring” drugs is “much easier than having to go to some grim place in the suburbs”. Lahaye is a Police commissioner and the head of the Paris drug squad. “Consumers prefer to go on a platform and have their drugs delivered by a guy who looks like a Deliveroo rider,” added Lahaye.
As per the reports from the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA), about 3.5 million in Europe took cocaine in 2021. The rares are four times higher than two decades ago. As per Eric Snoeck, the head of the Belgian Federal Police, a “tsunami” of cocaine is taking over. Europol seized about 240 tonnes of the drug in 2021. The value is a five times rise from the last decade. “Kidnappings, torture, and hits: there is so much money at stake that the criminal organizations have brought the cartels’ methods to our shores,” revealed Stephanie Cherbonnier. Cherbonnier works for France’s anti-drug office.
Europe: The most lucrative market for drug cartels
Reports reveal Europe to be emerging as one of the most lucrative regions for “big drug cartels” with extreme violence and corruption rising. After all these factors helped the cartels gain good control in South America. Additionally. Europol estimates a 7.6 to 10.5 billion Euro worth market at the ground level. The cocaine flooding European cities start its journey from the high mountain plateaus of Bolivia, Peru, and Columbia. “The US market is saturated and coke sells in Europe at prices 50 to 100 percent higher. Another advantage for the traffickers is the less dissuasive prison sentences and the multiple logistic options,” stated Florian Colas. () Colas is the head of the intelligence unit of French customs.
